Thomas thatcher



om R .M RR E0 HF om T ,Am EN Tw .S Tm mi X E d. d 0 M o m Nm 533,568. Patented Feb. 5, 1895.

UNiTnD STATES PATENT runen.

THOMAS 'll'IATCl-IER, OF UTICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE EXTENSION OAR STEP COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

EXTENSION-STEP FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 583,568, dated February 5, 1895.

Application filed February 26, 1894. Serial lloL 501,496. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern,- ers I hinge the supporting swinging arms 7 5o Be it known that I, THOMAS THATCHER, of which are of a length to provide the desir- Utica, in the county of Oneida and State of able rise between the extension step S and the New York, have invented certain new and last permanent step et, when the extension useful Improvements in Extension-Steps for Step is in its extended position. The exten- Cars, dec.; and I do hereby declare that the sion step 8 is hinged to the lower end of the 5 5 following is a full, clear, and exact descriparms 7 by providing a butt or strap 9 on tion of the invention, which will enable others which the step S is secured and which is pivskilled in the art to which it appertains to oted at 10 between a pair of ears 11 on the ro make and use the saine, reference being had lower end of the arm 7. The strap or butt 9 to the accompanying drawings, and to the is provided with an ear or projection 12 6o figures of reference marked thereon, which adapted to engage on the lower projecting form part of this specification. end 13 of the arm 7 and support the exten- My invention relates to improvements in sion step rigidly when the device is in ex- 1 5 extension carsteps. This step is also adapted tended position'.

for use with wagons or street cars or in any Extending rearwardly from the step 8 is 65 position where an extension step would be provided apair of arms 14: which are rigid useful or desirable. with the step and preferably substantially In the drawings which accompany andform Hush with its upper surface and secured zo a part of this specification and in which simithereto by being rabbeted into the upper surlar figures of reference refer to correspondface of the step, as shown. This particular 7e ing parts in the several gures, Figure 1 form of construction, however, is not necesshows a front view of a set of car-steps hav- Sary; the essential part being the rigid arms ing my extension step applied and shown in projecting from the rear of the step.

z 5 extended position. Fig. 2 shows the same On the rocking shaft 6 is rigidly secured a parts shown in Fig. 1 on a sectional line pair of arms or levers 15 which are pivoted or 75 through the series of steps and the extension hinged to the rear end of the arm 14 as shown. step with the step also in extended position. On the rocking shaft, at a suitable point, pref- Fig. 3 shows the same parts shown in Fig. 2 erably substantially in line with the wall of 3o with the step in folded position. Fig. 4 shows the car, is provided a fixed crank 16 by which in perspective substantially the same as Fig. the shaft may be rocked by means of the con- 8o 1 with the step in extended position. Fig. 5 necting rod 17 extending from the crank 16 shows details of construction relating particuup along the side of the car. The upper end larly to the joint or hinge between the step of the rod 17 is attached to a bell-crank operand its supporting arms. ating lever 18 by being pivoted to the short Referring more particularly to the referarm thereof at 19. The bell-crank 1S is piv- S5 ence figures in a more specific description, 1 oted at 20 at its angle on a xed support as indicates the set of permanent steps of a car the side of a car. The bell-crank operating or similar vehicle, which steps with their lever 1S is arranged to operate through alit- 4o risers are secured between a pair of sides or tle more than a semi-circle around its pivwalls 2 and 3 projecting downwardly from the otal point and its movement is limited in each 9o body of the car. On the under side of the direction by the stops 21 and 22 respectively.

last permanent step 11, I secure by bolts, or in Between the stops 21 and 22 I prefer to proany other suitable manner, a pair of hanger vide a semi-circular guide 23 on which the irons 5 provided at their forward ends with swinging end of the bell-crank operatinglever downwardly inclining perforated ears and at runs to give it strength to resist lateral movetheirrear ends with eyes in which the rocking ment and prevent its being pulled ol or disshaft 6 has bearing. abled by malicious or mischievous persons.

To the ears on the front ends of the hang- To operate to extend the step, it is simply 2 I Senses f necessary to movethe operating lever 18 from the pivotal point of the connecting rod17 with the swinging end of the crankl, thus locking as with a toggle joint the step either in extended orclosedposition. The long arm of the bell-crank operating lever 18 is' pref" erably made a little heavy in order to insurey the lever maintaining itself in either of the positions described. It may also be made to rub with more or less friction on the guide 23 f to accomplish the same end.

The extension step Sfolds beneath the lower permanent step e entirely out of the way when it is in folded position, and when extended is rmly braced and held bythe lever arm 15 and the fixed arm 14 andis supported by the armsy 7. In moving from itsffolded to its open position, or the reverse, the extension step is always maintained in a perfectly horizontal position so that if itis not locked in its extended position and a person steps on it, he is not thrown off nor is any injury done to the step; and by the peculiar arrangement of the braces the step is 'made very rigid in its Yextended position and is very lirmly held inits closed position.

It is evident that the step might be supported with a single hanger arm 7 with a single arm 14 and lever 15; or a single arm 14 with a corresponding lever 15 might be used in connection with a pair of arms 7, or a pair of the operating levers and arms might be used in connection with a single supporting armas 7, and that other changes, rearrangements and variations of the construction might be made without departing from the equivalents of my invention.

The connecting rod 17 and the operating lever may be entirely dispensed with, in which case the step would be operated by hand, and a suitable catch provided for securing it in closed position and another for securing it in extended position, if desired.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a fixed car step or support of a swinging arm depending from the front edge of the step or support, a swinging arm mounted on a rocking shaft depending from the rear edge of the step or support, an extension step hinged to the lower end of the front swinging arm and having an arm extending to and coupled with the rear swinging arm with means connected with the rocking shaft for `operating the device, substantially as set forth.v

2. The combination with a permanentr car step or other similar` support, of a pair of hangers adapted to be secured on the under side of the step or support, a pair of depending'arms hinged to the front end of the hangers, a rocking shaft mounted in the rear end of the hangers having swinging arms adapted to project downwardly,a folding step hinged to the swinging end of the front arms and projecting outwardly therefrom and having rigid armsy extending to and hinged to the swinging end of the shaft armswith mechanism for operating the step attached to the yfroekin g shaft, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a iixed car step or other similar support ot' ahinged arm adapted to be depended from the front edge of the fixed step or support,a swinging arm depend-y ing from the rear edge of the fixed step or support, a folding stepy hinged yto the lower end of the front swinging arm and havingy a fixed arm'extending to and coupled with the lower'end of the rearfarm, and operatingmechanism connected with the rear swinging arm yconsisting of a connecting rod and crank secured on afixed support, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a fixed step or support 4 of the swinging arms orleversl and 7 hinged to the rear and front of the step or support respectively, a folding step 8 hinged on the lower end of the depending yarms 7 and having an arm 14 extending to and hinged to the end of arm 15, a rocking shaft 6 on which the arm 15 is mounted, a crank thereonl and a connecting rod attached to the crank and an operating crank mounted on a fixed support to which the connecting rod is attached and operating in either direction beyond the pivotal point whereby the step is locked in either position,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a fixed step or support, a depending arm hinged to the front part of the fixed step or support, an extension step hinged at its rear side to the lower end of the depending arm, a pair of rigid arms extending rearwardly from the step, a rocking shaft having a pair of arms hinged to the rigid arms of the extension step, and means for operating the step connected with the rocking shaft, substantially as set forth.

6. A hanger, swinging arms depending from each end of the hanger, hinged to swing in parallel planes, an extension step hinged to the swinging end of one of the arms and having a rigid arm extending parallel with the hanger and hinged to the other swinging arm, one of the hinging joints having a shoulder or stop to limit the extending movement of the extension step, combinedsubstantially as set forth.

IOO

IIO

y7. The combination of a xed step or support, of a pair of swinging arms hinged to the front portion of the step or support, a pair of rear arms rigidly secured on a rocking shaft;

and mounted in bearings at the rear of the fixed Step or support and adapted to swing in parallel planes with the front pair of arms, an extension step hinged to the swinging end of the front pair of arms, and provided with xo rigid arms extending to and hinged With the THOMAS THATCHER.

Vfitnesses:

MORRIS P. RICHARDS, GEoRGE C. CARTER. 

